COMMERCIAL NEWS - The US Federal Aviation Administration orders emergency inspections for all Pratt & Whitney PW4000-powered Boeing 777s, KLM Cityhopper accepts its maiden Embraer E2, UK airports are set for a sustainable aviation fuels boost, and the Canada-based Conair Group receives the first of 11 ex-Flybe Dash 8-400s for firefighter conversion.
MILITARY NEWS - A contract for four additional CMV-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft for the US Navy has been awarded to the Bell-Boeing Joint Project Office in a US$309.5m deal. Elsewhere, Boeing KC-46A Pegasus, the first for the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, has taken its maiden flight from Everett, Washington.
UAV FOCUS - A General Atomics-Aeronautical Systems, Inc (GA-ASI) MQ-9B SkyGuardian is set to perform a UK operational demonstration, NATO declared initial operating capability for its Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) Force of five RQ-4D Phoenix unmanned aircraft, and drones have been used to transport medical supplies, including COVID-19 testing kits, in Scotland.
ROTARY FOCUS - United Airlines has given eVTOL technology a vote of confidence, thanks to a 200-strong Archer order, Israel selects the Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion for its future heavy-lift helicopter operations, and Transport Canada issues an emergency airworthiness directive for the Bell 505.
BUSINESS FOCUS - Bombardier confirms it will end production of the iconic Learjet, Textron Aviation reveals upgrades for the popular Cessna 425C CJ4, the US Bankruptcy Court orders the remaining assets of One Aviation to be liquidated, and the General Aviation Manufacturers Association reports a downturn in business jet deliveries.
TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - Boeing Defence Australia and the Royal Australian Air Force have successfully completed the first test flight of the Airpower Teaming System ‘Loyal Wingman’ uncrewed aircraft. Meanwhile, NASA begins high-voltage ground testing of its first all-electric X-plane, the X-57 Maxwell.
PROTECTION & PRODUCTIVITY - Alan Warnes recently talked to Ian Muldowney, chief operating officer of BAE Systems - Air, about how the company has been fighting COVID-19 both in the workplace and by supporting the NHS.
STELLAR WORK - Lufthansa Technik in Hamburg has just completed a maintenance check on a uniquely modified Boeing 747, which provides a window on the solar system and beyond. Ian Harbison reports.
RUSSIAN REVIEW - A total of seven Inokhodets unmanned aircraft vehicles will be delivered by manufacturers Kronshadt to the Russian Ministry of Defence during the course of 2021, as Piotr Butowski reports.
RETURN OF THE DESERT FALCON - Four F-16AMs of the Belgian Air Component have resumed the fight against Da’esh in Iraq and Syria. Jos Schoofs looks at Belgium’s latest Operation Desert Falcon deployment.
132' GRUPPO - A BREED APART - Istrana air base in northern Italy, and 132° Gruppo ‘Buscaglia’ (132nd mixed Squadron) in particular, have been going through some significant changes of late, as Riccardo Niccoli explains.
CRACKING THE DRUG CARTELS - The Gendarmeria Nacional was born as border police within the Argentine Army but has now evolved into an independent force to fight federal crime. Santiago Rivas investigates.
CONCEPT INSIGHT - Khalem Chapman outlines what we know so far about the AW249 - a technologically advanced attack helicopter being developed by Leonardo Helicopters - since it was awarded a €487m contract by the Italian Ministry of Defence.
HORIZONTAL PROPOSITION COVER STORY - For more than 25 years, air-launch-to-orbit was the sole preserve of Orbital ATK (now Northrop Grumman). That changed this year when Virgin Orbit placed ten CubeSats in a low-Earth orbit. In the first section of our 12-page special focus, Mark Broadbent explores the new path to space.
CORNWALL’S COSMIC AMBITIONS - Could a former RAF airfield in the UK’s West Country become the first spaceport in Europe to fly air-launched rocket missions? Nick Spall tracks the horizontal flight plan from airport runway to low-Earth orbit and speaks exclusively with Melissa Thorpe of Spaceport Cornwall.
CREATING CONNECTIONS - Demand for inflight connectivity has never been higher, with an increasing number of passengers expecting seamless inflight internet access, reveals Tom Batchelor.
RUSSIA’S RACE FOR ARCTIC POWER - Alexander Mladenov reports on how Moscow is taking a decisive step to beef up its power presence in the deep-frozen Arctic region, and what that means for the West.
TRANSPORT OF DELIGHT - High-end business clients seeking a city hop or yearning for polar tourism adventures can discover both through private aviation specialists Luxaviation and Starspeed. Paul Eden speaks with the people behind a wealth of rotary propositions.
ROYAL NAVY SHAPESHIFTERS - With new aircraft and new missions, there are some exciting times ahead for the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm’s Commando Helicopter Force, as Ian Harding recently found out.